How to cover a cake with fondant

In an ideal world I’d never use fondant icing but for me, it’s the only way to finish a fruit cake so each year I grapple with fondant icing and marzipan to create my Christmas centrepiece.

Much like my approach to marzipan, I don’t make my own fondant icing. I buy it pre-made and pre-rolled and I wouldn’t do it any other way!

To start with, you’ll need a marzipan covered cake. Luckily, I’ve just shared a post on how to cover a cake with marzipan (here). Hopefully you will have left your marzipan covered cake for 24 hours to dry out, so give it a quick brush down with water to help the icing stick.

Roll your icing out into a large circle, approx 35cm across, and then drape over your cake loosely.

Using the palm of your hand, flatten the sides down taking care to avoid pleats or bundles of icing in one place.

Once you have your sides smooth, trim off any access and using an icing smoother, the palm of your hand or the flat of a measure cup and some parchment paper to smooth out any lines, lumps or bumps in the icing. Try and get it as smooth as you can, the warmth of your hands will help but generally just working the icing will also warm it up and help you get rid of any blemishes.

You’re now ready to decorate your cake however you want to! I decided to try something a bit different this year (which I’ve shared here) and I really enjoyed it. You have a real blank canvas so let your imagination run wild!

I’d love to see your pictures if you make this recipe, tag me over on Instagram or add #foodieforthoughtblog to your posts on Insta for me to check out.